When I first started coaching online teachers, I focused a lot on helping restructure their business model and build the foundation of their online business. When it came to how to run their business, it often took more time and effort than I expected to make progress. There seemed to be barriers preventing them from thinking as a business owner and entrepreneur.
After a while, I realized that I was starting with the wrong type of engineering. Instead of restructuring their business, I should have begun with helping them rewire their brain and shift their mindset to be more like an entrepreneur.
Transitioning from teacher to entrepreneur isn’t just getting another normal job, or deciding not to teach English online anymore but still working as a freelancer somewhere else. You are starting a job unlike any other profession—entrepreneurship.
You’re undertaking the transformation from ship crew member, who only needs to follow orders, to the captain who controls the ship and steers at will. This significant shift of role and responsibilities requires a new mindset to ensure the success of your business.
So, how do you progress from feeling confined to your current teaching situation to confidently running your own teaching business? After a lot of conversation with my clients to understand how they think, I determined the three most important mindset shifts for people looking to transition from teaching to entrepreneurship.
You’re Not Conquering Mt. Everest
A common misconception is that business is a game for a small number of people, where only very few can succeed.
When we think about successful entrepreneurs, we imagine people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, along with the exciting (but improbable) stories from the books and films about them. Next to these legends, we fully convince ourselves that it will be extremely difficult to succeed like them in business. This keeps us from moving forward.
Focus on your own definition of success, and work steadily to accomplish it—remember, it’s not Mt. Everest you need to conquer.
Don’t let the idea of the billionaire entrepreneur keep you from making your small teaching business dreams a reality. That’s like telling yourself you can’t climb the mountain next to you, because you’re focused on the height of Mt. Everest. Who cares that Everest is 9,000 meters tall and accessible to only a few? Your mountain has an incredible view and, at only 1,000 meters, is totally within reach!
Comfort Zones and Fear
Everyone has their comfort zone.
Here is the mindset shift:
Fear is actually the tool you can use to expand your comfort zone, leading to more tasks you’re comfortable doing and fewer you’re afraid to do.
Any time you push past your comfort zone, you not only grow yourself and are able to handle bigger challenges, but you also experience the growth momentum and confidence that comes from accomplishing projects that used to scare you.
When you teach, you work to deliver results as well as keep your teaching business running. As an entrepreneur starting your own business, you now have two types of work to consider—that’s the third mindset shift:
Work on the business as well as in the business.
When you work in your business, you are working to keep the business running and sustainable. When you work on it, you are working to grow your business.
For example:
ON-work is marketing, sales, establishing systems, and hiring staff as well as undertaking training programs.
Watch the video here to learn more about how to start and grow your profitable, sustainable, and scalable business TODAY.
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